Collecting the sap of maple trees to make maple syrup and other derivative products has been known for centuries by North-American Indians and more recently, it has been eagerly taken over by the colonists and is now a thriving industry in the north east United States and south east of Canada. Like most industry, it has to modernize in order to remain profitable and a number of inventions have automated the process.
That is why, over the years, various systems have been used to improve the production of maple syrup. The most expensive and time consuming part of the process of making maple syrup has to do with the boiling of the sap so as to create the sugary concentrate—the maple syrup.
It has been found that by using reverse osmosis, a more concentrated sap can be produced, which requires less boiling time, thus a saving in energy cost. Reverse osmosis for the purpose of filtering water has been known for decades and by discarding the pure water and keeping the concentrate, an improved process for making maple syrup was born.
The prior art shows several systems whether for water desalination or water purification. Although none of the systems were developed specifically for the maple syrup industry, similar systems are currently in use in that industry. The major drawback is that those systems work on high voltage (240V) and require up to 50 amps. The high voltage and amperage is to operate the high pressure pumps. The systems are quite huge, heavy and bulky. Moreover, they require to be located where they won't be in a temperature below freezing.
By its very nature, the maple syrup industry remains mostly a small scale business and many small producers cannot afford the large equipment that larger producers can. There is therefore a need for smaller efficient and low cost devices to make the processing of maple sap profitable even for small producers.